Forming a strong bond! Zendaya and Tom Holland have been costars since being cast as MJ and Peter, respectively, in their first Spider-Man movie, which premiered in July 2017. Over the years, they’ve sparked romance rumors and have gushed over each other during various interviews.
“We are friends,” the Disney Channel alum told Variety in August 2017. “He’s a great dude. He’s literally one of my best friends. This past how many months we’ve had to do press tours together. There’s very few people that will understand what that’s like at 20 years old.”
Years later, it seemed like the duo finally took their relationship to the next level when The New York Post’s Page Six obtained photos of the pair locking lips while out and about in Los Angeles in July 2021. In the pictures, the costars got into Tom’s car before sharing a steamy kiss and smiled at each other. While neither actor has explicitly addressed their relationship status, Zendaya told Entertainment Tonight at the time that she was “so close” with Tom and her Spider-Man costars while promoting her movie Space Jam: A New Legacy.
“I can’t wait for everybody to see Spider-Man when it does come out,” she shared. “And you know, we all work so hard and we’re all so close from that. I’m excited! We’re gonna have a good press tour I think.”
Tom, for his part, opened up about how Zendaya helped him interact with fans in public. “I used to come across sometimes as a bit of a d–k to fans, mainly as I was always so surprised that they’d want a picture with me or signature or whatever,” he told British GQ in February 2021. “Zendaya spotted this and quickly told me that this sort of reaction was going to be more aggro than just smiling and taking the picture. She totally changed the way I am able to be more comfortable in public.”
Quotes like these are what made the fans “ship” the Marvel stars so hard after seeing their onscreen chemistry. “It happens all the time, and of course we expected it,” Zendaya told Entertainment Tonight in August 2017 when reacting to the ongoing dating rumors. “I mean, it comes with the territory. It comes with the job, so it’s all good.”
While fans wait for the official confirmation of Tom and Zendaya’s budding romance, scroll through our gallery to read the actress’ sweetest quotes about her costar.
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